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SKOPJE, March 20 (Xinhua) -- There is no need to hold fresh elections since Macedonia already had the general elections and voters wanted changes by choosing the Social Democratic Union (SDSM), SDSM spokesman Petre Shilegov said Monday.
Macedonia's political stalemate continues as President Gjorge Ivanov still refuses to give SDSM, which holds the majority of parliamentary seats, a mandate to form a government.
Macedonia held snap general elections on Dec. 11, 2016, but no government has been formed yet. The ruling VMRO-DPMNE party secured 51 seats, the SDSM got 49, and the DUI obtained 10 in the 120-seat parliament.
The SDSM and DUI, plus other two smaller ethnic Albanian parties, had secured a majority of 67 votes in parliament.
According to Shilegov, what Macedonia needs now is the constitution of the parliament that would pave the way to the voting of the government.
"SDSM expects that the parliament will be constituted as soon as possible to vote on a new government," Shilegov said.
President Ivanov continued refusing to give SDSM the mandate to form a government, saying that the political platform presented to him by SDSM leader Zoran Zaev threatened the sovereignty of Macedonia.
Ruling party VMRO-DPMNE, led by Nikola Gruevski, has asked for the holding of fresh general elections.
Gruevski said in a TV interview on Sunday evening that his party would present within this week a document outlining a way out of the political crisis.
According to Gruevski, the document will be shared with all the major parties and won't put any political party or ethnic community in a more favorable position.
However, he claimed that the most direct way out was to hold new elections, after the vote on Dec. 11 delivered an inconclusive parliament. Enditem
